Bedliners: drop-in or spray-in???

[dmccarty]

BoonDox,

When I got the F350 I put in a drop in bedliner. For a few bucks
more they would put in a pad that would stop the bedliner
from scratching the bed. I bought it.

I have a set of 2X4s that I use to hold things in place. I can
carry two 5 gallon cans of diesel in the back and they don't
move. I used to keep the cans in the truck all the time and
never had a problem.

I do carry from gravel and rip rap in the back of the truck from
time to time. I know with the drop ins its real easy to get the
stuff out of the truck. I was worried that the spray ons would
tear from the rip rap and with the shovel. I know the bedliners
work and dont get ripped up so I put one in.

You do have to worry about stuff sliding around. In my old
Chevy I had a pallet of 18" square step stones slide foward
during an emergency braking event. They dang near came
through the cab.... 8-(

I like the drop in liners anyway...

Later,
Dan

 

[fivestring]

I have the drop-in kind. It has under-the-lip sides... they do not come up and over the top of the sides. I bought that design so I could put a canvas tonneau cover on... they won't fit trucks with the over-the-top liners. It works well.

 

[bgott]

When I carry loose material like gravel I throw a sheet of old plywood in the bed first. I'm not worried about scratching the Line-X, it just makes it easier to shovel out. I usually leave the plywood hanging over the end of the tailgate, that way I don't have a ton of stuff getting stuck between the bed and tailgate. I also use the plywood for hauling drywall, drywall and Line-X don't get along and the drywall loses every time.

 

[jpr62902]

"I have a set of 2X4s that I use to hold things in place."

Do you have any pics of this that you could share? My wife bought me a cargo net, but it doesn't work that well.

 

[dmccarty]

Sorry, not pictures.

Its pretty simple anyway. I have a 2x4 or maybe its a 2x6 that
goes across the front of the bed. This holds the truck box in
place. I did not want to drill into the bed to mount my truck box
so to keep it from sliding around I have the wood running across
the bed with some blocking 2x material to fill in the gaps.

Does that make sense?

Towards the back of the truck the bedliner has another spot
to put int another 2x. With it in place I have maybe 18-24
inches of space between the 2x and the tailgate. There is
enough space to hold the diesel cans. I just put the two cans
side by side and up against the side of the truck. I then cut a
2x6 so that it would fit between the 2x4 that runs across the
truck and the tailgate. I screwed it into place tight against the
fuel cans with a piece of metal that was bent at 90 degrees. I
got the metal piece at Ace.

I also put in some screws along the top of the 2x's. The screws
are the good treated ones that don't rust easily. They are not
galvinzed but the yellow treatment. The name escapes me at
the moment. Anyway, I left about a 1/2 inch of the screw out
of the wood so I can use them as tie downs and such.

I have a short 2x4 that goes between the two wheels. That
give me another space to hold cans, chainsaws, etc. I might
have $20 in the whole thing. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have used this set up on trips with a net to hold things in
place.

A picture sure would help! But I don't have a digital camera.

Later,
Dan

 

[scotd1]

I have always used a rubber mat along with my drop in liner. I usually keep my trucks for 8 years or so and I have never had a rust problem, of course I have never had a reason to remove my liner for an inspection. The paint may be scuffed or scratched but what difference does that make as long as it doesn't rust bad? But if I traded trucks today I would set it back up the same way with a drop in liner and rubber mat as it has proven to be tough as nails. If my drop in did get cut, ripped or melted I could easily replace it. How hard and expensive is it to repair a spray in liner? I also like the protection I get over the rails with my drop in. But that's just my .02 worth.

 

[Inspector507]

Jim,
Molded into the drop in bedliners are several slots to put 2X material. Keeps things from sliding all over the bed.
I personally have a drop in and love it. My brother has always used Rhino spray-ins. This one has little bits of "sand" or whatever molded into it to keep the sliding to a minimum. It was hell to move the 470lb generator back to the tailgate alone last week, had to use the tractor and a tow strap to drag it back there.......darn, TRACTOR TIME!!!!!

 

[bky]

well i have a drop in liner that came with the truck.
and i agree that with hauling thing they seam to slide a round a lot but if you have to hall dirt, rock, sand, ect... a dropin is the way to go.
i am thinking about a spay in liner and if i need to move the above mention item i will just drop the dropin inner in.
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Boondox]

Jeez, this is as bad as Ford vs Chevy...or HST vs gears!!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I can see the advantages each side spoke of. The slickness of a drop-in might be bad...until you need to shove around a boulder or a huge round of firewood. Then slick would be nice, I'll bet! And on the other side, especially living in the salt belt like I do, blocking rust before it happens holds a lot of appeal as well.

In a perfect world, one would have a spray-in topped with a drop-in, or at least a rubber matt on the bottom. Ahem, here I have a truck able to haul things and I don't want to scratch it! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Pete

 

[fivestring]

Pete, I have the best of both....

My drop-in has a sprayed texture on it that keeps stuff from sliding.

 

[Egon]

Pete:
Your just covering the box. What about underbody rust protection?

Egon

 

[AndyR]

Pete - I have just what you were commenting on; a spay-in liner AND the drop-in. I also have the turnover ball hitch/companion adapter for the fifth wheel. When the hitch is out I have a perfectly useable bed and when I want to haul stone or stuff like that I just snap the drop-in into place. Works great and I never have to worry about the paint wearing out (there were definite wear areas under the drop-in before I had the spray done). Admittedly not the cheapest way to do it but neither was the truck - so I figure its a good way to protect the investment. 2002 Chevy 2500 HD with Duramax/Allison, LT, Extended cab and full bed.

 

[YanmarFever]

Im also a (drop in liner guy)
I have had both ,I prefer the drop in liner
I can haul 3 point tiller in the back and not worry about
the teeth cutting the bed ,I also have a rubber mat in there to keep things from sliding.
If I dont want the mat I just roll it toward the front of the truck.
My friends new dodge has a spray in liner and it already looks really bad.
I learned from his mistake I guess.
Ernie <><

 

[TresCrows]

I had a drop in in my little Toyota for 150,000 of its 250,000 miles life--so far. They do abrade the paint, things slide around in them and they can cause rust. I took mine out after I saw it doing damage to the paint after it had been in a few months and reprimed the abraded areas in the bed. I then took the thick foam tape used to seat bed caps on the truck rails and laid several strips in the bed. The foam seated in the liner and it stopped rattling around after that. Auto shops have a clear tape which is used for rock and scratch protection. It is a tough film that is clear and can be laid on the truck bed rails where the liner overlaps. The foam can be used there also as well. I think the under the rail type is better with a seperate rail protector is best. On the Tundra, it got a spray-in that was color matched, I like it better--and since it is not a WORK truck it is more than sufficient and very durable. Bed mats tend to blow out at high speeds. My friend with the hot rod Chevy says his mat is a speed indicator, it lifts up and floats around at about 90, when I was in behind him on the bike I saw it do just that. I had one in the little Toyota for a few weeks, it would not go 90 but it was windy and it went away, don't know where it is. I have also seen people use those heavy stall mats cut to the shape of their bed. They are tuff and heavier than most mats.
That clear tape is good for your side panels and areas of the hood that are exposed to gravel. There is a new type out that is usually pro installed because it can be shaped and stretched over curves forming an invisible shield. The last stuff I used was a 3M product I think. It would be avaialble at the types of stores that service auto body shops and supplies--not Autozone or Pep Boys.
I have also seen people use large pull rivets or bolts at the corners of the liner to hold it down tight so it does not rattle around--it is the moving around that wears the paint and then causes rust. J

 

[gsganzer]

I have an '89 Chevy with a drop in liner (before spray on was popular). It's definitely slick. I leave a sheet of plywood in the bed all the time, so things don't slide around. When I buy a new truck, I'll go with the spray-on. Nothing slides around and it's less noisey when you're on a rough road. I guess there's advantages to each one but I think the spray-on's a better route. I've seen some installations where they also coat the bed rails to help prevent damage when you throw things in and out. That sounds like a good idea.